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M. H. DIOKSON.

AIR BRAKE ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY GARRIAGES. No. 306,140. PatentedOot. 7,1884.

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UNITED STATES PATENT. QEEICE.

MEL HOWARD DIGKSON, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGN OR OF ONE- HALF TOLEWVIS TILLMAN, JR, OF SAME PLACE.

AIR-BRAKE ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY-CARRI AGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,140, dated October7, 1884.

Application filed April 25, 1884.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MEL HOWARD DICKSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State ofTennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAir-Brake Attachments for Railway-Carriages, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to means for controlling automatic air-brakes forrailway-cars; and to this end it consists in the devices which will behereinafter described in the specification and pointed out in theaccompanying drawings, reference being had therein to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device attached tothe ordinary airbrake pipe; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of thelever-guard and pipe, and Fig. 3 a detail sectional view of thelever-gripping device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the airpipe A is theordinary air-brake pipe now in general use for the air-cylinderconnections, provided in the usual manner with suitable valve, E, ateach end, which may be normally opened or closed when thehose-connections are coupled. It is intended that the rear valve of therear car will be normally closed, and if the coupling between any twointermediate cars should break and separate the hose-couplings thebrakes on the cars behind the separation, while being set by theordinary automatic action, would be kept clear on those in front. Thisresultis accomplished by my device, rendering impossible, or at leastreducing to a minimum, the probability of accident and inj ury to thecars,now so frequently occurring by the sudden setting of the brakes onall the cars when a separation occurs. To this end I have secured in adetachable manner a lever, B, provided with a head, B, to the nut orexterior projection, E, of the valve E. This lever B normally hangs in avertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, and when in that position thevalve is open. At its lower end it is providedwith the shouldered andbeveled or wedge-shaped projections e e,the upper one, 6, havingopenings b in the sides for the reception of the ends of the clamp F.This clamp normal position when desired. The engineer (N0 model.)

has two arms, pivoted at p,and held by the encircling band -spring K.The pivot 1) also passes through a swivel, H, to which is secured thechain I. This chain is secured (in a manner readily admittingdetachment) to the car in rear, and when attached is a little shorterthan the hoseconpling of the air-pipe-thatis to say, in a train each carhas such a chain so secured near its front, the other end of the chainbeing provided with the spring-clamp F, the arms of which grasp thelever B. The ends of the pipe Aunder each car are provided withdepending guards, and secured thereto by the rivets or bolts (Z, thearms D D forming the guard, being united at 9. These guards are near theair-pipe air-valves and between them, and in a train are always in frontof the lever B. Thus the lever B is protected from interference orstroke from anything beneath the car. Only one lever is on a car at onetime, and that one attached to the rear valve of the air-pipe A. Thusthe levers, front and rear, are protected. The valves are lubricatedbymeans of an oil-cup, G. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 2.)

The operation of the device is as follows: Suppose the train to beparted between any two cars, the lever B, attached to the chain I, isdrawn backward, closing the valve E before the h ose-coupling hasparted, thereby preventing the escape of the air from the air-pipe infront, and so keeping free the brakes on all the front cars, whileallowing those on the rear of that brake to be set, thus making sure theescape of the front cars from those detached. This position of the leverB is shown in dotted lines,Fig. 1. WVhen thus drawn backward, the wedgeend is pressed between the arms of the clamp F, throwing them open andreleasing the lever B, which may be returned to its 0 will be warned ofbreak in histrain by thebellcord, and may apply the brakes on theremainder of the train when at a safe distance. This of course affordsan element of safety which is not present in the ordinary brake methods,enabling the escape of the front cars in every instance fromthosedetached.

When the cars are uncoupled in' the ordinary manner, the clamp F isdetached from the lever B by simply springing apart the r00 arms fromcontact with the openings f. It is then allowed to fall, and hangs likethe hosecoupling, or may be hung under'the car. It can be readily andquickly put in place, for the beveled shoulders e c spread apart thearms and allow the projections f to enter the openings 1).

In making up a train the lever B and the chain I, with the clamp F, canall be shifted to either end of a car and attached in the manner hereindescribed, so as to have the clamp F holding the lex er B on the rear ofeach car, and the chain I attached to the car following, ready toperformits functionin case of a break. This attachment can atlittleexpense be placed on the present system of air-brakes and afford anadditional element of safety.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. In an air-brake attachment, the combi nation, with the air-pipe A, ofthe valve E, having the nut or exterior projection, E, and

beveled shoulders, of the spring-clamp having the projections f, theswivel H, and chain.

or cord I, attached and coupled substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 40 presence of twowitnesses.

MEL HOWVARD DIOKSON.

Vitnesses:

LEwIs TILLMAN, J11, A. S. Pnossnn.

